After two years, Vatican financial trial closes preliminary stage
Vatican CityRNS The Vatican’s “trial of the century,” in which 10 defendants, including a cardinal, face charges of fraud and corruption in a shady real estate deal, has already seen a century’s worth of testimony alleging blackmail, scandalous liaisons and secretly taped conversations with Pope Francis. The trial itself, however, has only just begun. On Tuesday, a hearing ended […]
Second Vatican official says Pope OK’d ransom payments for nun
Vatican CityAP A second high-ranking Holy See official told a Vatican court on Friday that Pope Francis had authorized spending hundreds of thousands of euros in ransom payments to try to free a nun who was kidnapped by al-Qaida-linked militants in Mali. Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, the Holy See’s number three, told the Vatican […]
In surprise, Pope Francis receives cardinal on trial for corruption
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis, in a surprise move, on Thursday granted an official private audience to Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the once-powerful Vatican prelate who is on trial for corruption and embezzlement. Pope Francis blesses new cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu of Italy during a consistory ceremony to install 14 new cardinals in Saint Peter’s Basilica […]
Pope’s role in Vatican financial probe again centre stage
Vatican City AP Pope Francis’ own role in the investigation into financial wrongdoing at the Holy See took centre stage on Friday in the Vatican tribunal, with witnesses saying he encouraged a key suspect to cooperate with prosecutors and a key defendant accusing him of interfering in the trial. Friday’s hearing was one of the […]
Credibility of key prosecution witness questioned in Vatican financial trial
Vatican CityRNS The Vatican’s sprawling megatrial addressing alleged financial mismanagement and corruption among its top officials encountered a new hurdle on Thursday as the credibility of a key prosecution witness, Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, was thrown into question by new information from an unexpected source. On Wednesday, the Vatican’s chief prosecutor, Alessandro Diddi, told the Vatican […]
Vatican court hears secret recording of Pope on hostage fees
Vatican CityAP The Vatican tribunal weighing a financial fraud case heard from an unusual witness Thursday, when a secret recording of Pope Francis was played to the court about the Holy See’s payments to free a nun held hostage by al-Qaeda-linked militants. The broadcast of the Pope’s own voice in the courtroom marked a surreal […]
Cardinal challenges Vatican cop over hostage payments
Vatican City AP The Vatican’s fraud and corruption trial took a dramatic twist Wednesday when a once-powerful cardinal challenged the Vatican’s police commissioner on the stand about one of the more peculiar tangents of the case: the Vatican’s half-million euro payments to a self-styled security analyst who, with Pope Francis’ blessing, helped arrange negotiations for […]
Pope invites cardinal on trial to attend Vatican meeting
Rome, Italy AP Pope Francis has taken another step to rehabilitate Cardinal Angelo Becciu, inviting the once-powerful Vatican prelate to an upcoming meeting of cardinals two years after Francis forced his resignation based on purported financial improprieties. Becciu, 74, is currently on trial in the Vatican’s criminal tribunal, accused of sending €125,000 in Holy See […]
Vatican airs dirty laundry in trial over London property
Vatican CityAP The Vatican’s sprawling financial trial may not have produced any convictions yet or any new smoking guns as prosecutors work through a first round of questioning of the 10 suspects accused of fleecing the Holy See of tens of millions of euros. But testimony so far has provided plenty of insights into how […]
Cardinal: Pope ordered auditor to resign over spying charge
Vatican City AP A Vatican cardinal testified on Wednesday that Pope Francis himself ordered the ouster of the Holy See’s auditor-general, turning the tables on a scandal that had sparked questions about the Vatican’s commitment to financial transparency and accountability. Cardinal Angelo Becciu opened a second day of questioning in the Vatican’s big financial fraud […]